The Sense to Recognize
by stilljustceci
Summary: A chance encounter with a human helps Emmett revisit lessons and love in his past. Can he recognize them for what they are?
1. Chapter 1

Jasper and Emmett settled down on the edge of the rocky outcropping overlooking the misty forest, feet dangling, and started counting the cash in their pockets.

"All I've got is 40. And a button," said Emmett.

"You're on," said Jasper. A pause and a slight grin. "You know he's not even trying, right?"

"Aw, that's cheating, man," Emmett complained, and flicked the button at Jasper's face. It pinged off and skittered away down the mountainside. "I won't pay if he throws it. ...and I still don't think she's faster."

"You're just mad that she's stronger."

Emmett snorted. "Not for long!"

* * * * *

Already miles away, Bella chewed her bottom lip in thought. She was skimming gracefully over the craggy rock piles at the edge of the trees, nostrils flared for any hint of the tangy, warm smell of mountain lion. It had taken her no time at all to forget how necessary it had once been for her to watch where she was putting her feet; as a result, she spent even more time lost in her thoughts now than when she'd been human. At the moment, her mind was still in Seattle at the Fish Market.

Somewhere, not far away, she could hear the faint whispering of Edward's feet racing along the rocks higher up on the mountain face, on the hunt to find his favorite prey before she did. He knew what Emmett had seen, and she wanted to get it out of him before they went back to the house. Emmett was the last person anyone would expect to try to hide anything, but she could tell something was wrong. And she wanted to be sure he was all right. Easygoing Emmett was a bright spot in her new family and easy to care about.

* * * * *

They sat quietly for a contented while, Jasper absolutely still as he stared up at the starless sky, Emmett picking thick, matted black strands of bear hair off his arms and dropping them into the air to watch them flutter down into the darkness among the rocks below.

"You're thinking about it again," Jasper finally murmured.

Emmett frowned. "You can't tell Rose. She won't understand."

"How do you think you're going to hide it from her, Emmett? You're not exactly the world's best at hiding your emotions. And I'm not just saying that as the emotion-reader."

"I know you helped me out there today, Jasper. And I appreciate it. ...if I tell you will you help me hide it from her, at least 'til I figure out how to explain it?"

Jasper smiled and nodded. He'd known his brother wouldn't last long. He should have bet on that instead.

* * * * *

Bella caught a whiff of what she'd been seeking and stopped with inhuman abruptness, eyes flying up and to her left toward the higher ground... where Edward was. Oh well, she should have known she wouldn't be able-- before she'd even finished relaxing her muscles in defeat, she heard the cat. And it was coming in her direction. Still alive! She flew to meet it, mouth open in silent laughter.

Three seconds later, Edward chuckled as he arrived to find her crouched over the still warm corpse. She smirked up at him, bright-eyed, then straightened. "I saved it for you, love," she said. "I still win, but I know how much you like the taste. There are some deer a couple of miles back for me."

He slowly grinned that crooked grin that made any sacrifice worthwhile in Bella's mind, then stepped over to wrap her in a tight embrace before he finally knelt to take his meal. How he was able to do it so spotlessly she still couldn't fathom, but she sure didn't mind watching as many times as it took to figure it out.

* * * * *

Emmett took a deep breath and the words all rushed out at vampire speed.

"It was Maria. She was right there in front of us. In the market. Buying fruit right in front of us only she was all old but it was still her. I wasn't wrong, Jasper. And I wanted to rush up and talk to her but when I tried to remember why, I realized I couldn't anyway 'cause I'm not all old and stuff like she was, and I was afraid she'd see me and freak out, 'cause I know she'd recognize me. She _would_. ...but what if she didn't? What if she totally forgot about me? That'd be great. I think. But I couldn't remember that fast, couldn't remember why seeing her made me feel bad, and why I wanted to rush up to her but wanted to hide all at the same time. It was so long ago! I mean, I've been thinking about it all day and I _still_ only remember parts--"

He stopped and slapped his hands against the sides of his face as his own jumble of thoughts crashed headlong into the tangle of Jasper's confusion.

"Is that you, man? 'Cause I thought I was starting to figure it out."

"If that's figuring it out I'm surprised you didn't explode back at the market, Emmett," Jasper said, bemused horror writ large on his face. "Slow. Down. Who is Maria?"

"She's the old la--"

"I know _that_, Emmett. Who WAS she? Before she was... all old and stuff."

"Oh." Emmett chuckled. "Right. Sorry, man. Okay." He paused a moment to compose his thoughts, much to Jasper's relief, and not without a bit of a nudge.

* * * * *

Once Bella had fed, they walked hand-in-hand to meet Jasper and Emmett at a human pace, enjoying the feel of the forest floor under their bare feet.

"Edward?"

"Mm?"

"What was wrong with Emmett at the market today?"

Edward glanced over at her and smiled. "You don't miss much, do you?"

Bella shrugged. "It wasn't hard to see. I've never known Emmett to be nervous about anything. I can't believe Rose didn't notice. If we hadn't..." Her brows drew together. "Wait. That sudden rush to check out the bracelets at that one vendor wasn't because they were all that exciting a find, was it?"

Edward laughed. "Jasper. Not that Alice needs much nudging to drag you girls off for a shopping conquest. It is a pretty bracelet though." He brushed his lips across her wrist; she lifted her brows at him pointedly, and he sighed and looked more serious. "Emmett recognized somebody." Pause. "A woman. From before he was changed."

Bella stopped short in her tracks.


	2. Chapter 2

_(A/N: I know Emmett was changed in the 1930s in the books, but for the sake of setting in my story, his change will have happened decades later than that. Thanks for reviews!)_

"When I was human, I knew her. In college. See, I got this job as an art model, for a drawing class, you know?"

Jasper smirked and Emmett rolled his eyes.

"No, not _naked_. Not that I'd mind! Believe it or not, I went to this strict Christian school. Well, not that strict. Every weekend it was nothing but parties, but our parents loved the way it sounded on paper, I guess."

Jasper grinned.

"I know," he continued. "But that's where my dad went so that's where I went. Besides, I went on football scholarship and their team was pretty good. My sophomore year, we even-- oh, right. Sorry.

"She was an artist. Jazz, she was _good_; I mean, really good. I'd get breaks between poses and go walk around and look at the drawings and hers were always the best. Even the teacher was always mooning over them." He looked over as he felt Jasper's growing disbelief. "Okay, yeah, my friends told me art chicks were easy. Thing is, she was the prettiest one there, all exotic looking like a Hawaiian Tropic pinup, but with smaller boobs of course... but she wouldn't flirt with me. ME, Jasper. She wouldn't even look me in the eye when I tried to talk to her and it kinda threw me. I would've thought she was a freak except the drawings were, I dunno, really soft. Like she saw everything… prettier than it really was."

* * * * *

"That's interesting," Bella breathed. Then she frowned. "But... hasn't Emmett been with you guys for a while? Are we talking a vampire?"

Edward took her hand again. "No, a human. She's an old woman now." He paused and slid his glance to Bella without turning his head. "They don't change as much as you think," he murmured.

Bella shuddered without returning the glance.

Edward chuckled. "Give it time, and you'll see."

"Whatever. Emmett's acting weird about it though. It is that, isn't it?" When Edward nodded, she continued, "Is he going to do something about it? Is Rosalie going to be mad?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "You know Rosalie. And I'm not Alice. I don't know. He wants to talk to her, but-" They were nearing the outcropping where Jasper and Emmett waited, and he pulled Bella into a run. "Let's hurry, and you can ask Emmett."

* * * * *

"I've been trying to remember better, exactly how it happened, that she's bothering me so much," Emmett said, with a tinge of sorrow. "'Cause she wasn't my type, you know? The next semester, I even stopped doing the art class thing – my mom didn't like it -- and I never would've seen her again. But then there she was, at the cafeteria. She lived right near the one where the ladies'd really pile on the food if you asked, and didn't charge you extra? And for some reason I couldn't tell you, except maybe that I missed looking at her drawings, I guess... and yeah, she was still kinda hot, I followed her around 'til she let me sit down and eat with her.

I started eating lunch with her a few times a week. Never a date, just showing up when I knew she'd be there. She was never with anyone else. She was always alone, like she was in the art buildings too, which was weird 'cause she was pretty nice. She still wouldn't flirt with me. She was so _shy_. I didn't even want to ask her out anymore. It wasn't like that. I liked her. Liked talking to her. And then, other guys would look at her, guys I knew, so I couldn't stay away. Just in case, you know? I wanted to know which guys… so I could maybe try to... warn her? Ugh."

Jasper chuckled in sympathy.

Emmett fell backward and covered his face with his big hands. "I sound like _Edward_, don't I? Kill me now." He stared up for a while at the shapes made by the glowing, silvery clouds that drifted in front of the moon. "But she wasn't like Bella. I mean, Bella's gutsy. Maria was scared. All the time. Sometimes I felt like she was just a kid and I didn't want anyone to hurt her. So, when she started flirting with me, finally, it was in these cute little junior-high tries, so I almost didn't even notice it, and I didn't know what to do. It was like when I found out my buddy Jeff's baby sister was hot for me, and I went, 'Oh shit.' Cool, but not cool. And so I just kind of ignored it."

He fell silent and still. Jasper could feel his brother's remorse, rolling off him in slow motion like a thick fog, and let him be until a deliberate shifting of feet told them Edward and Bella were back.

Emmett heaved a huge sigh. "Just take the money," he grumbled, digging into his jeans pocket without sitting up. He tossed the folded bills at Jasper's back and then let his arms fall outspread on the gravel. His jaw jutted stubbornly as Jasper shared a small smile with Edward and pocketed the cash.

_Just 'cause I don't wanna hurt Bella's feelings, you cheater,_ he thought at Edward. _Cheating mindfreaks._

Bella nudged Emmett with her toe. "So, what did you do about Maria?" When he didn't sit up, she squatted beside him and wrapped her arms around her knees.

"The wrong thing," muttered Emmett.

Bella glanced between Jasper and Edward, growing more and more impatient, but both boys seemed to be feeling uncharacteristically gracious toward their usually angst-free brother, so she bit her lip and waited too.

* * * * *

(flashback)

Maria sent a stone skittering across the asphalt with her toe and exhaled a silent sigh. Rock music pumped from the open doors of the double row of small, wood-frame houses along the street behind her, but the spirited freedom of it was weighted down by the clash of too many different tempos and by the distance between them and her.

"That was unfun," whined Liz, her tall blonde companion, as she unlocked the door of her sporty import and dropped into the driver's seat.

Maria only nodded and climbed in without looking at the other girl. The engine roared to life and the car leaped forward before the passenger door was even closed. Every Saturday night it was the same pathetic hop from frat house to frat house, throwing back keg beer and competing to catch the eye of a drunk upperclassman. She'd never told Liz that she was terrified of the day she would be chosen by one who would finally decide to push past her barrier of silent defense and call her bluff rather than giving up in disgust, or that somehow, humiliatingly, every week that passed in safety, she felt less and less worthy of the attention in the first place. Fortunately, most guys gave up pretty quickly.

But not all of them. She lifted her chin as an unfamiliar idea hit her, and with it an unknown bravado.

"Where we gonna find another party at this hour?" pressed Liz, as oblivious to Maria's sudden shift in demeanor as she was to the stop signs flying by their windows at every corner of the dark, residential road.

Maria blurted, "How 'bout the Quad?"

"Where the athletes live?"

"Yeah."

"They don't _party_ there," said Liz dismissively, and scoffed, "That's the only place the alcohol rules are actually enforced."

"I was thinking we could find Emmett," said Maria. She added quickly, "Maybe he'll go driving with us. Or something..." Her bravado slipped a bit finally and she glanced across the car.

Liz's blue eyes were wide and a smile was tugging at her painted mouth. "Emmett, your lunch date, the guy in your drawings?"

Maria just nodded, silent again, jaw clenched.

Liz laughed, but not the way Maria had expected. "NOW you're talking, roomie."

Maria mirrored Liz's wide smile and made herself relax into the leather seat as Liz spun the dial on the radio and Bad Company filled the small space, as if she came up with brilliant boy-finding ideas every day. And suddenly the night wasn't just like every other Saturday night.


	3. Chapter 3

(_A/N: I am SO embarrassed. I just realized while looking things over this morning that I skipped an entire section of the story in uploading Chapter 2. I'm talking hundreds of words, guys. I edited them in, so please go back and read the beginning of Chapter 2 again for a little more story. And if I tard out again, someone tell me please! Thank you. Back to the story while I slink off and try to remind myself that computers are easy, I can figure this out, they make our life better, I can figure this out...)_

"What do you _mean_ you don't know which apartment is his?" Liz let her hands fall away from the leather-wrapped steering wheel with a flop and rolled her eyes. "Isn't he why we came here?"

Maria looked bleakly around the dark, mostly abandoned parking lot. Being impulsive and bold had felt so exciting just a few minutes ago, but there seemed to be good reason it wasn't the norm for her.

Just then a boy appeared from around the corner of a small separate building, carrying a full laundry basket back toward the apartment doors. Maria rushed out of the car, away from Liz's indignation, and toward the boy.

"Excuse me! Yeah, hi." The boy's eyes skimmed over Maria in that _way_ she didn't think she'd ever get used to. After an embarrassed pause and without meeting the boy's stare, she blurted, "Do you know where Emmett lives?"

He chuckled and pointed just across the lot then turned to walk away. "3A," he called over his shoulder without looking back again.

Maria's spirits rose again and she only remembered to glance back for Liz when she got to the door marked '3A.' She watched her leggy blonde roommate unfold herself from the now neatly parked car and saunter over, and it occurred to her for the hundredth time how sexy Liz was. Tall, unlike Maria. Curvy, unlike Maria. Wearing a clingy polyester wrap shirt the same gold as her silky hair and a painted-on pair of black slacks. Maria had begged to be allowed out in simple blue jeans and a not-very-snug-fitting blue v-neck sweater, and hadn't even bothered to wash her curly dark hair today.

Liz flashed Maria an excited grin, leaned past her to knock on the door, and suddenly Maria wished more than anything to disappear. _Why_ had she done this? Liz had even put on fresh lipstick before getting out of the car, it looked like. _Please don't be home, please don't be home..._

The door opened.

Emmett wasn't wearing a shirt. Maria noticed, certainly; it was quite a sight, even to the familiar eye. More out of her experience were the faded, worn-thin red sweatpants slung carelessly low on his hips and the rainbow tie-dyed bandana hiding his ears and most of his dark curls. Somehow, seeing him dressed like that brought back a hot blush that hadn't bothered her since those first few weeks in figure drawing, before she'd somehow, unimaginably, gotten used to seeing him in far less. Almost. At least able to look up at him and move her charcoal pencil without burning to ash. She'd had to remind herself often to focus on shapes and tones rather than on skin and muscle, but it was something she enjoyed, after all. And his shapes and tones were beautiful.

It had been harder to talk to him coherently when he'd followed her around the cafeteria the next semester, talking to her in line, then moving his tray to join her at her table after she walked away.

Emmett was looking at Liz. And her slinky golden blouse. Of course.

The sudden slack look on Liz's face destroyed Maria's frozen terror, replacing it with a sudden smug need to laugh. The smugness turned to warmth as Emmett finally noticed her and his face lit up in that dimpled, easy smile of his. He always made it easy for her to smile back, real smiles that she so rarely felt confident enough to share with anyone else.

"Maria!" he boomed. "Uh, come on in." And he stepped aside and gestured shamelessly at a tiny, barely lit room where the coffee table was littered with schoolbooks and dirty dishes. Liz stayed quiet as they stepped in, remarkably, and Emmett's smile stayed on Maria.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as he tossed a pizza box off of the far end of the couch and onto the floor to plop down where it had been. Although, that left the rest of the couch free, neither of the girls sat down. Maria relaxed even more though at his familiar tone, still holding back a laugh at Liz's stunned silence.

"Parties sucked," Maria said with a single shoulder shrug. "We tracked you down to see if you wanted to hang out." She was trying to hold tight to the freeing confidence that Emmett gave her and ignore the nervous fluttering in her belly. She made herself keep her eyes on his while her instincts were pushing her to look away, to shut up, to hide behind Liz.

Emmett hesitated. For a few long seconds, he looked so unsure that Maria's butterflies turned to lead and sank, pulling her dark gaze down with them to land on the wood planks of the floor.

* * * * *

After what seemed an interminable wait to Bella, Emmett was abruptly on his feet. "Nope, Rose is just gonna kill me. Let's go home so I can take my licks like a man."

Jasper blinked wide eyes in surprise, showing that the decision had been as abrupt as the action.

Edward winced.

Bella pounced upward with a sharp growl, planted both hands in the middle of Emmett's back. There was a resounding crack; then she landed lightly in a crouch where he'd been standing as he tumbled down the steep face of the rocks, cursing loudly all the way.

Jasper said, "He did deserve that."

"I am NOT saying I'm sorry," snapped Bella, and started down the mountainside after Emmett.

Edward made a helpless face at Jasper before following her down.

At the bottom, they found Emmett lying on his back. His pants were torn across the knees and shins, and his shirt hung in shreds over his shoulder blades and forearms. He was grinning up at Bella.

"Look, I found my button," he said, and held it up above his face.

Jasper suddenly laughed, stepped forward, and stuck out his hand, curling two fingers in a 'gimme' gesture.

Emmett's grin disappeared. "But it's-- He didn't-- She-- It's just a _button_, Jasper!"

Edward started laughing then, too.

Emmett grumbled, "Fine," and whipped the button toward Jasper's face again, harder this time, where it made a sound like a bullet ricocheting. Jasper's hand blurred out to catch it before it disappeared. It was pocketed with care, like a thing of great value.

"Don't ever make bets with them," Edward told Bella.


	4. Chapter 4

"I don't wanna talk about it anymore," Emmett rumbled then, and pulled himself to his feet. With that, he turned and started trudging into the forest, back toward the house. His brothers settled wordlessly into step behind him.

Bella skipped around in front of Emmett. "What did you DO?" she practically wailed. How many decades would it take before she became as patient as they were? Was it even their age that made them so unflappable? Or was it because she was the only person present who didn't already know what the others were thinking and feeling all the time?

But Emmett didn't know any of that. And he was usually such a beacon of peace. Except right now.

Emmett just made a disgusted face and glanced at Edward. Permission and plea.

Edward spoke quickly, for Bella's sake, "Just a kiss. It was just a kiss, Emmett." His words slowed. "Oh. . . .oh, Emmett." He heaved a sigh that was loud and eloquent. "And then he never talked to her again."

Emmett glanced over his shoulder at his brother, grateful for the sympathy, but it turned into a cringe when Jasper's "Why is that--" was interrupted by Bella's sudden growl.

"Don't even _finish_ that question, Jasper Hale," she grated. "Haven't we learned anything?" With a flash she was in front of Emmett again, and he had stopped short, expression resigned.

"Emmett, how could you?" she whispered. "Don't tell me it was to _protect_ her?"

Emmett pressed his lips together, shook his head and shrugged. He groaned. "I left it the best I could, okay, Bella? It was for the best. At the time. Maybe if I'd had more time--"

"Looks to me like you've had nothing _but_ time," she said pointedly.

"Bella, love..." warned Edward.

"It's been decades, Bella. The woman grew old. It's in her past," said Jasper smoothly. She scowled at him but half-heartedly, feeling her emotions reacting to his unsubtle soothing. Then he added, "She probably doesn't even remember."

Bella snarled at him and was gone.

Edward put a hand briefly on Emmett's shoulder, then was after her.

* * * * *

Alice greeted Bella at the door of her bedroom with a loving, sympathetic smile. Bella flew past her into the room, wringing her white hands. "Did you see, Alice?" she begged. "Please tell me he's going to talk to her."

"He's going to talk to her," Alice reassured her as she closed the door and showed Bella a white index card in her hand. "It'll be just fine. Look, I have her address in Seattle right here."

"Thaaaank you," Bella moaned, and started to flop backwards onto Alice's bed. She tensed suddenly and flipped herself in midair like a cat to land on hands and knees, staring wide-eyed at the Bella-shaped clear spot in the midst of the towering piles of color- and fiber-sorted clothes.

"Alice, how does anyone get used to you?" she laughed.

Alice put her fingers on her temples and pronounced, "I foresee it will take you longer than most."

* * * * *

(flashback)

Both girls were staring at Emmett expectantly, looking soft and pretty and out-of-place there in front of his coffee table and his physics homework and his beer cans. Innocent little Maria and her leggy blonde party friend in her red lipstick and her look-at-my-hooters blouse.

_Hang out? Shit. Shit. Maybe I've been wrong. Maybe this whole time innocent little Maria _wasn't_ so innocent. I mean, who the hell shows up and bangs on a guy's door at half past midnight-_

And then Maria's expectant look was suddenly gone and it really _was_ just her and her shy downcast eyes, and he thought she looked hurt, maybe even about to cry. He leapt to his feet. "Um, sure. That's cool. Did you wanna go somewhere? Lemme get a shirt."

Four minutes later, he was crushed into the back seat of a little white sports car as the blonde, Liz, gunned it near to red line in second gear just getting out of the parking lot. She said she thought there might be a bonfire at the lake and didn't ask what Maria or Emmett thought of that. The tunes were loud and he could see down that gold blouse from where he sat if he leaned forward a little, so he just sat and looked for a while, letting his mind drift and wishing he hadn't been awake since football practice at dawn.

And then he started to wonder what Maria was thinking. He couldn't see her face; he was mostly behind the passenger seat because the girls' purses filled the narrow, uncomfortable bench behind Liz. But he could see the dark brown softness of her hair, her delicate fingers as she fidgeted with the curls, and her profile set in an expression he wasn't sure how to interpret when she glanced back at him. It made him nervous, so he ended up just staring at his hands in his lap for the rest of the drive.

Thankfully, Liz got them to the lake in only 4 songs and 1 DJ break, and his legs were only mostly asleep by the time they all tumbled out of the car into the gravelly clay lot, abutting the lake on one side and a children's playground on the other. Sure enough, there was a smallish bonfire blazing near the slide, music throbbing from an unseen radio, and a couple dozen other students milling slowly about with plastic party cups in their hands.

Emmett slid his bandana off of his head and frowned thoughtfully. As an athlete, he wasn't officially allowed to go to parties. But he also knew that most of the football players were record-holding keg standers and as a junior, his exploits were already near legendary. Still, he'd been less than careful as of late and was close to being officially disciplined, so he had _meant_ to stay home and study tonight. And then there was Maria. Liz had to be responsible somehow for her being here. The thought of Maria at one of these parties was making him uneasy. Antsy even.

Emmett accepted a beer - just one - and smirked to himself as Liz immediately paired up with one of the sophomore defensive players he knew would rather chew off his own leg than turn down a chest like that. Maria lingered nearby, shooting him little smiles over her plastic cup without speaking.

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and noticed he was empty already. Just one more couldn't hurt, right? His tolerance was great, even for a big guy.

"So, you were at another party before this."

"Yeah, a couple. They sucked."

"That's what you said before."

"Sorry. Ask something else?"

He grinned.

She laughed. She had a soft way of laughing sometimes that Emmett really liked, just an exhaled rush with a smile and a downward sweep of dark lashes.

There was an awkward pause.

_Say something_, he thought. _Say something_. "Your hair looks pretty like that."

Her eyes flew back up to his face, wide and reflecting the bonfire suddenly, a girlish smile tugging up the corners of her mouth.

Panicked, he drained his beer to hide behind the cup. Someday, maybe he'd learn to self-censor.


	5. Chapter 5

Emmett shifted his weight from foot to foot uneasily. Maria was so much easier to talk to in the cafeteria. They talked about everything. Even the last couple of weeks in the face of her inept flirting, he could still laugh and steer the conversation in another direction without the nervousness he was feeling now.

He shouldn't have come tonight. He shouldn't be standing here making small talk with her as she smiled at him with the bonfire in her eyes. But as he accepted a fourth cup of beer from a curvy redhead whose familiar leer somehow made him feel guilty, he also knew that he was glad to be here, because the boy-to-girl ratio was not skewed in Maria's favor should he disappear. At least, not if she were planning on staying innocent little Maria.

Then again, maybe he was just an imbecile. Maybe it was all an act. There was that soft laugh again, and those long, curly dark lashes. She _had_ to know how cute that was. Maybe she never wore makeup or slinky gold blouses because she knew it just made her more appealing. And he knew she wasn't anybody's little sister anyway. She was a year older than Emmett, for fuck's sake.

He refilled his and Maria's cups at the keg. How many was that? Dammit, he'd lost count. It wasn't that many. Just, no more. When he got back to the slide where Maria was waiting for him, she was talking to Liz and that sophomore jerk, Greg.

Greg flashed him an ugly grin.

"C'mon, let's walk," Maria said before Emmett could speak, and then she was following Liz toward the trees, away from the flickering warmth of the fire. She glanced back over her shoulder at him hesitating there, and staggered a bit as she caught her foot on a wooden beam that helped define the boundary of the playground. Greg's hand went out to steady her, gripped and yanked her upper arm, and she giggled. Emmett left the beers at the bottom of the slide and jogged a few steps to catch up before they reached the treeline.

Hiking in the dark. This _had_ to have been Greg's idea. At least the trees here, growing mostly in gravel and clay as they were, didn't block much of the half-moon's light. But they also spread their gnarled roots above the ground in constant trip-traps, so that before they'd gone more than 10 feet, Emmett had reached for Maria's hand.

For twenty minutes they walked in silence that he was surprised to find he enjoyed. And when Maria navigated the dimly lit hike with slow, careful grace and he realized that his protective tension had faded, he kept her hand in his because it was warm and soft and strangely companionable, as if they were having a conversation. A tug as she stepped away from him to go around a jagged stump; a squeeze as he paused and helped her over a large rock.

The ground became more and more uneven and then they climbed over a final fallen log onto a tumble of stones that led to the edge of the lake. It was a curving offshoot of the main body of water, like a narrow river winding through a clearing in the trees, and just across the sparkling ripples was the dark lot where a few cars were still parked, and somewhere nearby, then, the playground. Somehow in all the walking, they'd gone in a wide circle and ended up nearly where they'd started.

_Not lost is good_, thought Emmett. Especially since a light drizzle had started up and threatened to lower the temperature from pleasant to chilly once it permeated their clothes.

"So! Who wants to skinny dip?" That was Liz.

Emmett could help neither the flood of relief nor the hearty laugh that escaped him at Maria's suddenly shocked expression. Still, he quickly reined himself in to a sympathetic chuckle. "C'mon," he told her with a wide grin and a tug at her hand. "Let's get out of here before the show starts." Indeed, Greg already had his pants down around his knees.

They were quiet again, until they had left the sounds of splashing laughter behind another curving of water and trees.

"She always like that?" he asked.

"Yeah..."

A pause. Then Maria muttered, "Oh my God, I'm so embarrassed," and started laughing, setting Emmett off again too.

He helped her clamber over what appeared to be a length of jumbled old train track snaking through the trees, a mess of grayed-out wood made silver in the moonlight and iron ties crumbling with rust, braided all through with vines and fallen brush.

Maria turned to watch him to climb over.

A twig snapped.

Emmett's stride was stopped short and his eyes went big. He pulled his left leg, then again harder, then groaned under his breath.

"Stuck?"

"Yeah..."

He twisted his leg back and forth a bit. "I think it's just my shoe. Maybe if I... Whoa!"

Maria was at his side immediately, hands on his ribs, pushing to help him keep his balance. "You're supposed to be the one keeping _me_ out of trouble," she teased gently.

"I know, I know," he grumbled, then tugged again at his leg as he leaned on her, and laughed.

"I'm really stuck, though. You think you could untie the shoe for me?"

"Can you keep from falling on top of me?"

"Yes, I think I can control myself."

She breathed a little giggle, and stooped to find his ankle in the blackness of his shadow.

"Watch out for spiders," he joked, then immediately regretted it when her hands leapt away from him. "Aw, Maria, I'm sorry."

His heart thumped three times before she answered in a strained voice.

"It's okay. Besides, it's the scorpions you really have to watch out for," she quipped, releasing the shoelaces with three sharp tugs before standing and taking one big step away from him.

He felt clumsier than he ever had as he finally twisted his foot free, yanked his shoe out of the rubble, and knelt to put the damned thing back on.

But when he straightened, Maria was smiling at him and then she was stepping closer to punch at his chest, laughing, "I hate spiders. Oh my God, I hate spiders, you idiot," and he caught her wrists, laughing too.

"I'm sorry. I am."

"You're lucky you didn't double knot or I would have left you there."

"No, you wouldn't have."

"...No, I wouldn't have." And her voice was a whisper that snuffed out his grin and drew him down toward her mouth like a magnet. When he let go out of her hands, they bunched fistfuls of his shirt and pulled at him.

Emmett was normally an exuberant kisser, but something about this girl at this crazy moment had his knees feeling weak and his blood buzzing in his veins as if it wanted to push out of his skin with every deafening heartbeat. So he hesitated, an inch from the kiss, and held his breath.

And then Maria closed the distance, tickling him with a trembled exhale before her soft lips pressed to his for just one long, very long, heated second. Her lips parted then, still on him, and the cold rush of air as she took in a breath shot a fiery shiver down into his gut, and he grabbed her waist in both his big hands and crushed his mouth down on her.

He couldn't pull her against himself; he was bent over too far. A faint little whimper deep in her throat insisted he try. He slid one arm around her and yanked her upward so that her tiptoes were barely holding her weight, bent her at the waist so that her chest was flush against his, their slow panting out of synch with each other. The fingers of his other hand curled, raking nails across her back pocket and clenching at that square of denim white knuckled.

"Ow," she squeaked. He'd pinched her lip between their teeth.

"Sorry," he whispered.

She bit his bottom lip and he kissed her again.

Tangling her fingers in his hair, she pulled at his t-shirt collar with her other hand to find the skin over his collarbone, kneading outward with fingers and thumb under the shirt until she sunk her fingernails into his shoulder.

A groan rose from his chest and he shifted her weight in his arm to slide his free hand up onto the bare, hot skin over her waistband.

One of her sneaker toes slipped on wet grass, and her weight as she lost her balance yanked her mouth from his. He lifted her completely off her feet then and buried his face in her neck as he finally pulled the whole length of her warm little body against himself.

He heard her catch a short, shallow breath, her fragile ribs straining against him for more air, her legs dangling, and he thought, _Gonna break her,_ and set her down.

When he slid his arm free from behind her back, he felt her sway, and took her upper arms in his hands to steady her.

"You okay?" He was surprised that his voice was even, calmer than he felt inside.

She pressed her lips together over a smile and just nodded without meeting his eyes.

He waited a couple of tense seconds and then laid a hand on the small of her back to lead her along the water's edge. He thought about taking her hand again. Her little hand with its long, talented fingers, the rounded fingernails he could still feel on his skin, her ridiculously delicate bones. Finally, he just did it, but it didn't feel the same as before.

He tried to decide what the difference could be, but every crackling dry leaf, every snapping twig, every clattering stone filled his mind completely and there was no room for thought. Just for the jittery, nervous confusion spreading through him, emanating from where her hand rested in his.


	6. Chapter 6

Not another word was said.

They found an old railed bridge across the water, not quite wide enough for them both to cross together, and Emmett let Maria walk just ahead from there and for the long walk back to where the trees disappeared to reveal the cars. Greg was leaned back against Liz's car with Liz plastered over him, and Maria's steps slowed until she fell even with Emmett again, her chin down nearly to her chest.

Emmett cleared his throat to no effect.

"Greg."

Liz giggled and lifted her hands to push her wet hair back. While her head was thrown back, Greg didn't take his mouth off her neck.

"Dammit, Greg, gimme your keys."

Greg finally heaved an irritated huff of a sigh and took his hands off Liz long enough to dig into his pocket and throw the keys at Emmett.

"I'll leave it in front of your apartment," Emmett said and put his hand on the small of Maria's back to lead her to an enormous dark green Buick.

The drive back was even more tense than the walk, though when Maria put her hand on the bench seat between them, he laid his own over it and caressed her fingers as guilt coursed through him. He drove her wordlessly to her dormitory and managed to croak, "Goodnight," as she lingered a moment, then she slid out of the car and used most of her strength to heave closed the heavy door.

* * * * *

It had been exactly one week. Emmett had avoided the cafeteria. He had avoided the walkways around the art buildings. He had avoided the whole corner of campus where her dorm was.

He had tried to think about what was bothering him, to decide what to do, but his brain was avoiding Maria too. It had been a whole week, and just wondering what she might be feeling made him queasy.

He was at the laundromat when Greg found him.

"Ran into Maria today."

Emmett winced.

Greg laughed. "Hey, no sweat, dude. She's not pissed. She told me to tell ya it wasn't a big deal."

Emmett stared at Greg. "That's it? That's all she said?"

"Yeah, man. No big deal. She said, 'Tell him he doesn't have to hide from me. It wasn't a big deal.' "

Emmett stared down at his box of detergent uncomprehendingly.

Greg snorted. "Girls don't say that about ME." He punched Emmett in the arm and sauntered away again.

* * * * *

It was two weeks later. Emmett was walking the two miles to her dorm, talking to Maria in his head. _It's been two weeks and I'm a complete ass for not having called and I'm so sorry. ... I'm sorry I didn't call but it's not because it wasn't a big deal. ... Oh God, I don't know why you told Greg it wasn't a big deal, but if it was because of me, I'm so sorry. It was a big deal to me and--_

He stopped walking, hung his head backward, and pressed his eyes shut for a moment before he started again.

_Fuuuuck, Maria, I'm not that guy. But I didn't mean to hurt you. Shoot me now if I'm wrong, but I think you love me and GOD I want a girl to look at me the way you do. But I don't want you to be scared all the time. And you are. You think you're not, but you're scared of me. And obviously, you __should be,__ 'cause I'm an ass. You didn't know it about me, but there it is. I'm a complete ass and if I don't stay away from you I'm gonna hurt you. Worse._

He kicked the concrete banister at the foot of the steps at the front entrance to Maria's dorm and then stared at the doors without moving another step.

And it suddenly occurred to him that he didn't need to say anything. Maria already knew he was an ass. And so all that needed to be said was that he was sorry. He needed to say it, but she didn't need to hear it.

He'd followed her, he'd befriended her, he'd _wanted_ her because she loved him. He had taken that offer and breathed it in like air, but had never exhaled in return. Even all his protectiveness had been a sham after all, because _he_ was what she needed protection from in the first place. And now he was going to stick his head back into her life for "I'm sorry"?

He whispered, "Damn. I'm so sorry," at the uncaring doors and then walked slowly back to his apartment.

And he went to parties and he stood by kegs but he looked deeper into girls' eyes when they leaned on his chest and smiled up at him, and he thought about what he saw there before taking anything that they offered. And when summer break came, he flew back home to Tennessee, and when he saw the love in his family's eyes at the airport, he hugged them more tightly than he ever had before. And when they went to vacation in the mountains and he followed that stream alone and he looked into the eyes of the mother bear that rushed between him and her cub that last day, he was glad that she did what she did for love.


	7. Chapter 7

"Rose?"

She was in her darkroom in the garage, hanging prints to dry on a cord strung along the south wall. Under the red glow of the safelight, her perfect skin was as pink and as smooth as the inside of a seashell, her hair shimmered like a Texas sunset, and the front of her blouse--

Rosalie smirked. "Not now, Emmett. But I'm almost done." She raked her eyes up and down the length of him and winked.

Emmett considered bringing up Maria another time. No, this needed to be said. He dragged his stare away and distracted himself from thinking about her perfect rack by studying a rack of photographer's chemicals: developer, stop wash, fixer…

Rosalie took in his expression with a quick, knowing glance. "Something you need to talk about?"

"Yeah."

"I'm done here."

She washed her hands and gestured out toward the garage with her chin. Because he seemed troubled she restrained herself from slapping his backside in those detestable baggy jeans. _When will fashion swing back toward denim that fits? Not soon enough._

The Volvo was parked directly in front of the darkroom door and Emmett turned to stand in front of it with a child-like expression of uncertainty on his face that made her heart melt.

Rosalie slipped her arms around his waist and put her cheek against the firm curve of his chest. "Tell me."

Emmett sighed and squeezed her tightly. "You remember what you told me before, Rosie Posy, how you felt about Royce?"

She leaned back and looked up at him, brows drawn together in annoyance. Not at the stupid pet name. He had an endless supply of those and, as long as he didn't use them in front of anyone at school, or Edward, she didn't mind. In all truth, she loved them. She did not however love mentions of Royce.

"Tell me again. Please, Angelface."

Rosalie pressed her lips together but acquiesced out of curiosity. "I loved him because he was what I thought I needed at the time. I would have been wrong even if he hadn't turned out to be a rapist thug. Now what is it, Emmett?"

"So, if things hadn't happened the way they happened, if he had come to you and said, I am not what you need, and he set you free, would you have been grateful? "

"Emmett!"

"Please."

"I would have been devastated."

"Would you have forgiven him later? If you knew why he did it?"

"I don't know."

Emmett looked wounded and Rosalie scowled. "Tell me what this is about."

He took a deep breath. "Honey Bee, I saw a woman at the market today, someone I recognized from when I was human and now I need to find her, and apologize to her, because when I set her free I didn't tell her why and she deserves to know."

Rosalie was staring at him, face frozen in the scowl from before, so Emmett went on in a whisper, "I need her to know. I need to know if she ever forgave me, or if she will."

Edward and Bella were sitting together at the piano but the music wasn't loud enough to conceal the sharp crack of Rosalie's hand on Emmett's face. They winced in harmony but the music continued without pause.

"Now? You're mentioning this _now_," Rosalie said, clipping off the end of each word like a cigar cutter.

"I wasn't hiding her from you, Rose. I swear. She and I were never together. It's a long story, and I will tell you any of it you want, but right now I feel like—if I don't find her, and tell her I'm sorry, I'll just bust."

Carlisle and Esme were seated with Jasper and Alice at the dining table and their conversation did pause, and hold as Alice held up one rueful finger, until the second slap reverberated through the house.

"That's for being 40 yrs late, Emmett. And because you won't feel it when she does it."

And then Rosalie's glare softened and she sighed and put both hands on Emmett's face, pressing her palms against where his dimples would appear. "Or maybe you will. Look at her just like that, and she'll forgive you. As long as you know that you're doing it for you, and not for her."

Emmett swept her up in a grateful rush. "Oh thank you, Sugarlips. Thank you. I love you so much. Thank you."

Rosalie stopped him mid-kiss and patted his right front jeans pocket with brows raised. "Where's your button?"

Emmett grumbled, "Jasper took it again."

Rosalie leaned her forehead against his and plucked the top button off of her blouse. Emmett grinned at her, his slow motion sex-grin, as she pressed the little prize into the palm of his hand and lovingly closed his fingers around it. In another moment, the rest of the buttons were bouncing off cars and walls and she was squealing laughter.

At the table inside, Alice giggled at the Edward-voice in her head one second before the piano music crashed to a halt.

"_Not on my car!"_


	8. Chapter 8

Emmett listened to the soothing sounds of the household as he waited for Maria in her dark studio. He breathed deeply, chest rising and falling and nostrils flared, learning the lush smells of the oil paints, of graphite and charcoal, of paper both wood pulp and cotton, and of linen canvas and gesso and turpentine. He snooped shamelessly, grinning at the finished and unfinished works of art. The rich colors and bold subjects were new but the delicate lines and careful details were just as he remembered.

The walls were covered in framed photographs, grouped like collages from knee-level to ceiling, collected in loose groupings: a lifetime of pets there, showing a tendency toward long eared dogs with soulful expressions; portraits of four beautiful dark haired children there, at various ages, all in black-and-white, with serene, long-lashed eyes and round faces; candid photos of the same children there, in color, with laughter and landscapes and Maria.

He felt happy, sated somehow, though he hadn't even seen her yet. He'd never been one to linger near the homes of humans, passively absorbing the rhythms of their everyday routines as Rosalie was sometimes prone to do, and he wondered now if it was always like this or if it was only because this was Maria's home. Maria's small yellow house tucked into the flowering trees and bushes, with its vine-burdened gazebo and arched trellises, its terra cotta pots and dark green tiles and fragrant burgundy blooms. Maria's orderly piles of art supply catalogues, dog-eared paperback books, and years of Christmas and Mothers' Day and birthday cards. Maria's husband, with whom she laughed quietly despite the drone of a television turned up loud, the sound of running water and dishes in the sink, the rasp of a small dog snoring and the soft-spoken husband eventually joining in for a sleepy duet before Maria's footsteps started down the hallway toward the studio door.

Emmett was a little nervous, but he trusted Alice. _This is going to go well._

Finally, she entered the room with a steaming cup of tea cradled in one hand. She spotted him as she reached for the light switch and froze, eyes wide. Emmett twitched up one corner of his mouth then the other, listening to her heart start to race, and waited. _Alice said it would be alright, Alice said it would be alright._

The cup slipped out of her fingers, and as it dropped toward the hardwood at her bare feet, Emmett closed the distance between them and knelt to curl one hand gingerly around the ceramic without enough force to shatter it, managing to spatter only a few near-boiling drops on his own wrist. He looked up at her with an apologetic smile as her eyes managed to find him again.

Stunned, she pulled a white dish towel off her shoulder and offered it to him. When he reached to accept it, she brushed her fingers across his knuckles tentatively, and a crease formed between her brows.

Emmett straightened up and examined her silently while she did the same. Her salt-and-pepper hair was cut into short, neat little curls not unlike his own, her skin had relaxed into soft, delicate creases around her eyes and mouth and across her forehead, but her eyes were bright and clear and completely the same, like he was completely the same. Except that now he was like one of her drawings: all lines smoothed, all imperfections balanced, all shadows sharp and defined.

Her heart rate steadied and slowed, though not quite to normal. She finally mused, "You're pretty solid for a ghost."

"And you're pretty calm for a… hauntee."

She breathed her soft laugh, lowering her chin and lashes in such a familiar gesture. Emmett grinned at the rush of tenderness that filled him.

"Hauntee?" she teased. "If you want screams, maybe you should try the spider thing."

Emmett cringed playfully. "You remember that, huh? Don't worry, it gave me nightmares too."

"Ghosts have nightmares? Or..." Maria took a deep breath, looking suddenly sad, and very tired. "Emmett, what happened to you?"

"I got mauled by a bear!" Emmett's cheerful voice suddenly boomed, too loud in the quiet studio. Maria gaped and Emmett cringed again in apology.

"You're not really a ghost, are you?" she whispered.

Emmett hesitated.

The exhaustion in Maria's face seemed to intensify, like a weight pressing down on her, until he was sure it was pain he saw etched in her expression, accompanied strangely by a slow, gentle smile. She reached to take the teacup and towel back from him with hands that seemed too frail to him all of a sudden.

"I'm an angel," he blurted suddenly, quietly.

And Maria nodded in easy, immediate acceptance.

Emmett went on, "Maria, it's still me. Emmett McCarty. I used to eat lunch with you three times a week, and before that, I sat around in my skivvies in the cold for you to draw."

Maria stepped away, toward a table littered with paints and brushes where she deposited the still nearly full teacup and towel, and laughed again. "Not a mental image that goes with angel wings, Emmett." She rushed to speak again before he did. "Thank you for waiting. Until I said goodnight and all."

Emmett shot her wounded look. "You actually think I would've just taken off?"

She looked confused. "What?"

Frustrated, Emmett scrubbed at his face a moment with both hands. He realized he'd assumed Maria was going to be shell-shocked enough to just sort of stand there while he made his apology. He'd somehow forgotten how conversations with her were rarely linear, and tended to confuse him. It had been fun when he didn't have anything important to communicate.

"Your paintings are beautiful," he said softly, shifting to a more neutral topic for the moment, until he could gather his bearings. "I'm glad you didn't give it up. Art, I mean."

Maria murmured, "Thank you," still looking confused.

Emmett took a deep breath and just dove in, let the words spill out without trying to make it perfect. "I need to tell you— I need you to know that I-- what I did, the way I just-- it wasn't right. It was wrong. I was wrong. And I'm sorry."

Maria was gaping at him again, and this time he stayed quiet, pressing his teeth together and watching the lines and shadows of her expression shift minutely with her thoughts, forcing himself to let her process, let her respond before he spoke again. One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi…

And then she lowered her face, rested her forehead on one trembling hand, bowed her shoulders, and cried.


	9. Chapter 9

Emmett fought the powerful urge to rush to Maria, to wrap her up in a hug and apologize for the apology.

He told himself (in Alice's voice) that the tears were probably the healing sort - _please_ - and that his cold body would be little comfort to her anyway.

So he waited, though he couldn't help but shuffle closer, and when she looked up at him again, he didn't hide his immense relief at her smile, and let his shoulders relax again.

With a sniffle, she slid her hands over her face to smooth the tears away before tangling them together in her lap and looked up, meeting his stare. "Thank you," she said sincerely.

Emmett beamed but kept his voice low. "I'm sorry it took so long."

"Why did you do it?" she asked, her face still wet. Her tone was simple, free of tension. The words were decades old.

"I just— I didn't want to hurt you," Emmett answered in kind. "I felt like you were scared of me--"

"I was," Maria offered, still smiling. "I was terrified."

"Why? You seemed scared of everything, and I never knew why. I wanted to help you, I wanted to protect you, but I didn't know what to do." Maria's smile changed and Emmett suddenly wasn't sure he wanted the answer. All the things she might say…

Then Maria laughed. "I wasn't a damsel in distress, Emmett. I was just a little girl." Emmett's eyes widened suddenly, and she laughed again more loudly, wrinkling her nose. "Not like _that_. I mean, I was--" She shrugged easily. "A late bloomer. I just didn't know what the hell I was doing like everybody else did. I was hundreds of miles from home without any friends, and I didn't have a clue how to _do_ _any_ of it. Especially you."

A dimple flashed as she smirked at him, and Emmett dimpled back at her. Then he frowned suddenly. "And I ran off. Oh, Maria, I am _so sorry_..."

Maria waved one hand dismissively. "Emmett, it's in the past. And it was for the best. We were so different. You would have gotten bored with me, gotten tired of being careful and kind. You were so fearless and loud. You wanted to be wild. Did you ever find a wild thing to keep pace with you?"

His grin was quick and full of joy. "Yes. A perfect hellcat. An angel."

"I'm so glad," she whispered. She reached one hand up boldly to touch his face with gentle fingertips, tracing first his cheekbone, then his jaw line with open curiosity. She was waiting for something now, her eyes expectant under lashes still clumped together with tears as she dropped her hand back into her lap.

"What are you waiting for?" he asked finally.

"Emmett, is dying… hard?"

His eyebrows flew upward. "What?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered, exhaling another soft laugh. "I thought I was ready for this--"

"No!"

Maria looked confused again. Pained. In pain.

Emmett couldn't meet her eyes anymore. "It's not your time. I just came to apologize."

Her mouth worked around a response, then another. Finally she settled for, "…oh."

"This was for me. Not for you," he recited, remembering Rosalie's words, and sighed sadly.

"No. No, I'm glad you came, Emmett." She waited until he looked up at her again. "I really am. Thank you."

He frowned, unconvinced. "I suck as an angel, don't I?"

She laughed abruptly. "I'd rather have you than one of the 'biblical standards'. They seem a little intimidating. 'Wrath of God' and all. You're more reassuring."

"Aw, you won't get a wrathful angel, Maria. And it won't be hard. Dying, I mean. Even when it hurts, there are angels there. Especially for you. You don't have to be scared."

Maria nodded gratefully, looking down at her clasped hands. She smiled to herself, a private little smile, and Emmett recognized it: Rose wore that smile every now and then, and whenever he asked her what had brought it on, she would only say, "Remembering." He had once asked Edward about it, but Edward had just smiled inscrutably and refused to share what he knew. Now, looking at Maria, he thought he finally knew what Rose had been remembering: a life well-lived, without regrets.

When Maria looked up again, he was gone.

* * * * *

Jasper and Emmett settled down on the edge of the rocky outcropping overlooking the misty forest, feet dangling, and started counting the cash in their pockets.

"I've got 200," said Jasper.

Emmett lifted a brow at him.

"All right, all right. And a button."

"You're ON!" bellowed Emmett, and slapped down a fistful of wadded-up bills.

"I can't believe you're betting against Edward."

"I can't believe you're betting against Alice."

"Alice isn't on the ground."

"Let's just say I'm _not_ betting against Rosalie."

"Damn right you're not." Rosalie's voice filtered upward through the damp air and echoed on the rocks around them. She was picking her way through the littered stones and dry brush nearer the tree line, with Alice astride her shoulders, circling warily in a faceoff with Bella atop of Edward.

"I thought we didn't play this anymore," Jasper chuckled.

"Edward never had a partner before," Emmett said graciously.

"Why can't we have three teams?" called Bella. "There are six of us."

"We try not to be in eyeshot when Emmett's head is that close to Rosalie's crotch."

"_Alice!"_ Bella's scandalized tone made Emmett roar with laughter.

Edward sidestepped neatly as Rosalie darted forward to try to take advantage of Bella's distraction. Alice reached for Bella, who was taken by surprise and flailing for balance, but missed. Bella and Alice squealed. Rosalie and Edward snarled, circling again.

"I _see_ you flirting with my woman, Edward!" Emmett yelled.

Jasper drawled lazily, "Hurry. Oh, please. I don't know how long I can keep him up here."

The pairs stayed close now, and Alice's and Bella's hands slapped at each other, sliding off smooth, hard flesh, their laughter ringing out loudly and fingernails making smooth, almost metallic skittering sounds, while Edward and Rosalie laughed as well, in lower, shorter huffs of breath as they darted in and away, over and over.

"This is turning me on," announced Emmett.

"We know," said five other voices in unison.

Emmett sighed, and rushed to his feet and down the cliff's face.

Jasper laughed, cautioning, "You interfere, you lose!"

Edward glanced up toward Emmett with a grin. Then his eyes widened and he staggered backward as Rosalie closed in on him in a blur. Alice's hands closed around Bella's arms with a triumphant "Ha!" and Edward's backward momentum stuttered enough for Rosalie to snake one long leg behind his and then plant an open hand against his chest and shove.

Edward, Bella, and Alice went down in a tangle of arms and legs, shrieking and cursing. Rosalie stepped away to smooth her hair.

A moment later, Emmett was throwing her over his shoulder. He threw his head back and howled as she loosed a stream of threats involving power tools and an urge to neuter any and all creatures that howled.

Jasper picked up and pocketed Emmett's money, but produced the button and held it out in front of himself in time for a speeding Emmett to snatch it on passing.

"Thank you!"

"Emmett, put me _down!"_

The threats and laughter faded into the forest in the direction of the house.

* * * * *

EPILOGUE

The sun was rising as Emmett pulled a large glass jar out from under his bed. It was full of buttons: large and small, sew-through and shank, plastic and metal and ivory and wood, with shimmering insets and sparkling facets, and in virtually every color of the rainbow, every one still as vibrant as the day he'd first put it in the jar. He smiled as he deposited his new treasures and they clinked as they settled into place.

"Come on, Emmett," Rosalie said as she emerged from the closet. "I want to change the Jeep's oil and put in those new speakers before school and I know how much you like to--" She grinned. "What's that smile?"

"Oh, nothing, Goldiknockers," he responded with a wink. "Just remembering."

* * * * *

_Thank you, Sarah!_


End file.
